Filmmaking / Directing

Hi, Geoff Hall. I don't think there's a problem with seeing social impact films as entertainment. It can be both. If I was a theater owner/theater chain owner, I would lower ticket and concession prices, then use slow periods at my theater/theater chain to show sports game and host events (like video game tournaments and TV binge events) to make up for the price cuts. A theater owner, executive, or someone mentioned doing these things in an article recently. I can't remember his name.

I will watch this when I get off S32. But without having watched it yet, IMO there is no such thing as a human story that doesn't have actual social impact. That's why film is so powerful. However, if one's definition of "social impact" approaches overt political assertions and attempt to persuade, which is the implied intention of many if not most of those who do "social impact" film, it becomes propaganda by definition, and not art, and turns it from enduring art to ephemeral content. "Social impact" is therefore just a euphemism for propaganda in those cases. People don't like propaganda, outside of those who are politically motivated in a similar bent to the particular film. In other words, such content ends up preaching to the converted and having no actual effect outside that group.

I would suggest embedding videos on Rumble instead of YouTube. Unfortunately, YouTube no longer permits streaming in its embedded videos like this one. So people have to leave the site and log in to YouTube to view it. (Google's latest maneuvering to capture everyone's traffic - despite having just lost their second antitrust suit) There is a growing exodus from YouTube to Rumble specifically because of the embedding issue.

Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg

Dear Shadow: Let’s look at your claim that we are talking about propaganda. I think it’s ill-advised to throw about such phrases, before having scrutinised our intent.

I have studied the realm of propaganda for various stories, including the works of Jacques Ellul and Edward Bernays. Here is what Elull has to say about how propaganda operates.

“To the extent that propaganda is based on current news, it cannot permit time for thought or reflection. A man caught up in the news must remain on the surface of the event; he is carried along in the current, and can at no time take a respite to judge and appreciate; he can never stop to reflect.” Jaques Ellul. ‘Propaganda’

“To be effective, propaganda must constantly short-circuit all thought and decision. It must operate on the individual at the level of the unconscious.” JE - P

Ellul also notes that propaganda is not just the control of information, but also of environment. He calls it a conditioning process, whereby the propagandee is absorbed into the reality generated by the propaganda. Propaganda generates social problems and then offers solutions to the illusions it has created.

A film like Seeing Rachel, for example, does not generate the problem of human trafficking, nor offer solutions. Our aim for this film is to ‘raise consciousness’ of the problem and inspire people to take action. This is what good art can achieve and propaganda cannot, because it doesn’t give you time to step back and reflect; it absorbs you into its delusional reality.

Propaganda is there to control information, environment and outcome. Social impact films are not.

The experience of Seeing Rachel will allow the audience to step back and reflect; I work on the principle of Jung’s active imagination - creating images to draw out unconscious fears and anxieties and aid the healing process.

Propaganda, whilst generating ‘news’ and images which stir our fears snd anxieties, is not there to elicit a healing process, but to prey on those fears, control us and multiply or intensify them. With propaganda there is no resolution, but an unrelenting power to control society.

Our films, as you maybe now can imagine, cannot be labelled as propaganda.

Pat: I have not seen Havoc, could not find it but I did find "The Raid" here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVPJQoYJvSc

John Gostomski think it drops Friday I believe. And I know The Raid well. Perfect movie!!!

I will look for it.

Pamela: As I immerse myself in this writing venture, I’ve come to realize that there truly is a story in everything. The key is in the technique and the finely honed skills necessary to get one's work into the right hands—ultimately getting it optioned. When I was pursuing my degree on the West Coast, I made some meaningful inroads into Hollywood.

I became involved with SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers), joining because of my background in videography, photography, and behind-the-scenes roles. I had worked as a stagehand, PA, a limited coordinator, and even as a background actor (human prop) through IATSE. My background in accounting gave me the insight to see that there was a narrow but valuable path to success in this industry.

Being part of SMPTE allowed me to access different facets of the industry. One of the highlights was attending a meeting hosted by the Academy in LA, where 300 cinematographers gathered to learn about the digitization of original nitrate films to preserve iconic works from being lost to time. As someone with a creative and technical mindset, it was eye-opening to witness the industry transitioning toward the digital future we now live in.

However, my journey took a turn when I realized that shutting down the federal money pipeline was a more pressing mission. After my research and experiments using Las Vegas as a real-time model, I decided to focus on that. As I’ve learned, there’s a story in every corner, especially in a place like the "Naked City." It’s a rich source of inspiration, full of untapped potential.

In Dallas, I being a member of AFTRA before the merger, but the opportunities were sparse for someone with my skill set because SAG had nothing. Dallas proved to be a creative dead zone, stifled by resistance to film incentives and an overall lack of support for innovative industries. The federal operations were still running full speed, but I felt like I was hitting walls. I saw firsthand how the city’s “Religiland” culture created a barrier to the kind of creative growth that thrives elsewhere. Again there is a story in the "Naked City".

Had I chosen to go to San Francisco instead, I could have had a completely different experience—one full of tech, venture capital, film industry connections, and even a bit of star power. Despite the challenges, I now realize that the stories we can tell—stories that emerge from every day, every city, every person—are invaluable. They can't be made up, especially when you encounter the fascinating and often absurd characters we meet along the way.

The beauty of storytelling is that it allows us to take real experiences and reimagine them, keeping them grounded in reality while also playing with the bounds of creativity. And with a simple "legal eagle" disclaimer—"Any and All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental!"—we can bring those stories to life in ways that resonate with audiences.

In the end, it’s all about finding that right connection, whether it’s in the industry or with the people who understand the work you're putting into the world. As the Bugs Bunny Show theme suggests, it’s all part of the larger, ongoing performance. And I'm ready for my role in it.

Lots of valuable experience it seems, John. All good fortune to you!

Ashley Renee Smith I have subscribed to IMDb Pro and I get notifications from the trades. I found that's pretty adequate and I also subscribe to Screen Daily, but I'm on the free service so I'm limited to how many articles I can read on there per month (which I think is a good thing!)

P.S., John -- gotta love Bugs Bunny, right?

More than you know but in relative terms, should have kept busy working in the interim on advertising but have been doing a deep study on our industry and its ancillary areas as I have been researching. Content development is a focus, that is why building a network, getting project, money and classes is so important. I wish you great fortune in your endeavors. Going to be a spectacular year for creativity, expression and work!

I also saw that they're going to require members to watch every film before voting! Feels like a great rule to try and implement. You can tell some years which films in the smaller categories like Docs, Doc Shorts, Shorts, Animation Shorts were clearly not watched by many and like many have criticized "got votes based on vibes." Like this past year, the Doc Short "Incident" had a totally original and unique cinematography style with important subject matter and a crazy story. Clearly no one watched it, otherwise it should've been a no brainer front runner. The doc short winner, on the other hand, got a Netflix release in December with their little thumbnail tagged "Oscar nominee" and got way more eyes on it ahead of the voting. Instances like that where you can kind of see in the smaller categories how the most widely available film the earliest gets a leg up. Anyways, I'll end my rant, but think it's a good thing and the Oscars Death Race is a fun thing to do!

(https://apnews.com/article/oscars-rule-changes-academy-awards-477d12f8be...)

Pat Alexander Well, that's ostensibly always been the case, and it's by definition unenforceable. The academy also ruled that the use of generative artificial intelligence tools will “neither help nor harm the chances of a nomination.” Which IMO is in line with their membership's (studio-oriented) viewpoint, being that AI should be used to eventually rid the studios of pesky actors and crew.

WHAT? I gotta watch it - all of it - before I vote! What's the world coming to?

Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg To have Academy members watch every film in a category would be easily enforceable given the digital portals that are now used for Awards screenings. In the past with DVDs, you couldn't really track it and there was an honor system, but with a digital portal, you could require however many minutes watched of a film on every film in a category, within the portal, before allowing a vote to be cast by a member. The tech to do this seamlessly is already out there.

Pat Alexander If anyone feels that what I say in this reply is cynical, it's possibly because they don't understand the purpose and function of a professional industry association (which is what the Academy is). It's ALWAYS been physically possible to enforce people to watch before voting; streaming does nothing to strengthen that. But it's not now and never has been politically viable within the Academy to do that. Voting rules will only serve the majority of Academy and their studio handlers think it's in their best interests - and should. People forget though that this has never been a people's choice awards. Those of us in legitimate industry who lose sight of that whine and cry about fairness and art. This is an award, which is promoted by inside industry for the open purposes of telling everyone that Hollywood studio industry film (and those outside Hollywood who are owned or controlled by same) is superior in every way, as well as reward the studio industry projects which have excelled commercially, and to express sometimes coded sometimes not so coded messages. Changes in the voting of the Academy will only ever be at the convenience and in the interests of Academy members - major studio associates all.

I love that.

What I love about Coogler is that he is a bona fide storyteller. His movies have been successful because he tells a story with heart. He tells stories with intent. Why he is so successful is not necessarily because of what he does, but why he does it. He connects to what he writes.

When the goal of a project is for it to be a blockbuster, it's a problem. If it's for everyone to like it, you have a problem. When it's to appease a specific subset of people, you have a problem . When it is to help the world see something, when it is to draw attention to an issue, to turn a reflection, to have others be seen, to tell stories no one else will dare touch. There is an entire difference.

He tells stories not only that he thinks people want to hear or see, but that he desires to personally be told. His strategy is to continue to tell the story he wants to tell, stories that move him so they will move others. Admittedly, I haven't read the articles yet. When I first saw Fruitvale Station, I knew there was something deeper in this. I could tell he had a really strong emotional connection to his work. And so did Michael B Jordan. Although that story wasn't mine by the end of it, I felt like it was. That is powerful.

The same for Black Panther, Creed, and now this. Those stories have him in them. He's not an outsider.

His strategy is born out of a desire for him to keep his stories purely his, to tell the stories he wants to tell as close to a pure authenticity as he can within the parameters of an industry intent on policing, standardizing, and controlling everything.

I'm so excited for this one